1980 Portuguese legislative election

The Assembly of the Republic has 250 members elected to four-year terms. Governments do not require absolute majority support of the Assembly to hold office, as even if the number of opposers of government is larger than that of the supporters, the number of opposers still needs to be equal or greater than 126 (absolute majority) for both the Government's Programme to be rejected or for a motion of no confidence to be approved.{{cite web|url = http://www.en.parlamento.pt/Legislation/CRP/Constitution7th.pdf|title = Constitution of the Portuguese Republic|access-date = 2019-12-29|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222446/http://www.en.parlamento.pt/Legislation/CRP/Constitution7th.pdf|archive-date = 2016-03-03|url-status = dead}}

The number of seats assigned to each district depends on the district magnitude.{{cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/staff/michael_gallagher/ElSystems/Docts/effthresh.php |title=Effective threshold in electoral systems |publisher=Trinity College, Dublin |access-date=2015-10-21}} The use of the d'Hondt method makes for a higher effective threshold than certain other allocation methods such as the Hare quota or Sainte-Laguë method, which are more generous to small parties.Gallaher, Michael (1992). "[https://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/staff/michael_gallagher/BJPS1992.pdf Comparing Proportional Representation Electoral Systems: Quotas, Thresholds, Paradoxes and Majorities]"

For these elections, and compared with the 1979 elections, the MPs distributed by districts were the following:{{cite web|url=http://www.cne.pt/sites/default/files/dl/md_ar1980.html|title=Eleição da Assembleia da República de 5 de Outubro de 1980|publisher=CNE - Comissão Nacional de Eleições - Eleição da Assembleia da República de 5 de Outubro de 1980|access-date=3 December 2020}}

The table below lists the parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic during the second half of the 1st legislature (1976–1980), as the 1979 election was a national by-election, and that also contested the elections:

• In January 1980, MPs Francisco Sousa Tavares, José Medeiros Ferreira, Armando Adão Silva, Nuno Maria Matos and Pelágio Madureira, elected in the Democratic Alliance lists, left the Social Democratic Party caucus and formed their own parliamentary group, the Reformers, following the agreement made with AD in order for them to be elected.{{Cite web |title=Reformadores (dissidentes do PS) - Jose Adelino Maltez|url=http://maltez.info/respublica/portugalpolitico/grupospoliticos/reformadores.htm |access-date=16 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414052702/http://maltez.info/respublica/portugalpolitico/grupospoliticos/reformadores.htm |archive-date=14 April 2024 |url-status=live |website=www.maltez.info |language=pt-PT}}

{{election table|title=Summary of the 5 October 1980 Assembly of the Republic elections results}}

|-

| colspan=11| center

|-

! rowspan="2" colspan=3 style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties

! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes

! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%

! rowspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|±

! colspan="5" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="center"|Seats

|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align=center|1979

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align=center|1980

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|±

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|±

|-

| style="background-color:#2A52BE;border-bottom-style:hidden;" rowspan="4"|

| bgcolor="2A52BE" align="center" |

|align=left|Democratic Alliance{{efn|name=AD}}

|2,706,667||44.91||{{increase}}2.4||121||126||{{increase}}5||50.40||{{increase}}2.0

|-

| bgcolor="{{party color|Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}" |

|align=left|Social Democratic{{efn|name=PSD}}

|147,644||2.45||{{increase}}0.1||7||8||{{increase}}1||3.20||{{increase}}0.4

|-

| bgcolor="{{party color|Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party}}" |

|align=left|Democratic and Social Centre{{efn|name=PSD}}

|13,765||0.23||{{decrease}}0.2||0||0||{{steady}}0||0.00||{{steady}}0.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"| Total Democratic Alliance

|width="65" align="right" |2,868,076

|width="40" align="right" |47.59

|width="40" align="right" |{{increase}}2.3

|width="40" align="right" |128

|width="40" align="right" |134

|width="40" align="right" |{{increase}}6

|width="40" align="right" |53.60

|width="40" align="right" |{{increase}}2.4

|-

| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican and Socialist Front}};border-bottom-style:hidden;" rowspan="3"|

| bgcolor="{{party color|Republican and Socialist Front}}" align="center" |

|align=left|Republican and Socialist Front{{efn|name=FRS1}}{{efn|name=PS1979}}

|1,606,198||26.65||{{N/A}}||{{N/A}}||71||{{N/A}}||28.40||{{N/A}}

|-

| bgcolor="{{party color|Socialist Party (Portugal)}}" |

|align=left|Socialist{{efn|name=PS}}

|67,081||1.11||{{N/A}}||74||3||{{N/A}}||1.20||{{N/A}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"|Total Republican and Socialist Front

|width="65" align="right" |1,673,279

|width="40" align="right" |27.76

|width="40" align="right" |{{increase}}0.4

|width="40" align="right" |74

|width="40" align="right" |74

|width="40" align="right" |{{steady}}0

|width="40" align="right" |29.60

|width="40" align="right" |{{steady}}0.0

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor=red align="center" |

|align=left|United People Alliance{{efn|name=APU}}

|1,009,505||16.75||{{decrease}}2.0||47||41||{{decrease}}6||16.40||{{decrease}}2.4

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor={{party color|Left Bloc (Portugal)}} align="center" |

|align=left|People's Democratic Union

|83,204||1.38||{{decrease}}0.8||1||1||{{steady}}0||0.40||{{steady}}0.0

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor="{{party color|Workers Party of Socialist Unity}}" |

|align=left|Workers Party of Socialist Unity

|83,095||1.38||{{increase}}1.2||0||0||{{steady}}0||0.00||{{steady}}0.0

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor=red align="center" |

|align=left|Revolutionary Socialist

|60,496||1.00||{{increase}}0.4||0||0||{{steady}}0||0.00||{{steady}}0.0

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor=pink align="center" |

|align=left|Labour

|39,408||0.65||{{N/A}}||{{N/A}}||0||{{N/A}}||0.00||{{N/A}}

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor="{{party color|Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat}}" |

|align=left|Portuguese Workers' Communist

|35,409||0.59||{{decrease}}0.3||0||0||{{steady}}0||0.00||{{steady}}0.0

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor=darkolivegreen align="center" |

|align=left|PDC / MIRN/PDP / FN

|23,819||0.40||{{N/A}}||{{N/A}}||0||{{N/A}}||0.00||{{N/A}}

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor="{{party color|Democratic Party of the Atlantic}}" |

|align=left|Democratic Party of the Atlantic

|8,529||0.14||{{N/A}}||{{N/A}}||0||{{N/A}}||0.00||{{N/A}}

|-

|colspan="2" style="width: 10px" bgcolor=darkred align="center" |

|align=left|OCMLP

|3,913||0.06||{{increase}}0.0||0||0||{{steady}}0||0.00||{{steady}}0.0

|-

|colspan=3 align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total valid

|width="65" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|5,888,733

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|97.72

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|{{increase}}0.4

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|250

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|250

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|{{steady}}0

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.00

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|{{steady}}0

|-

|colspan=3|Blank ballots

|34,552||0.57||{{decrease}}0.1||colspan=5 rowspan=4|

|-

|colspan=3|Invalid ballots

|103,140||1.71||{{decrease}}0.3

|-

|colspan=3 align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total

|width="65" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|6,026,395

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.00

|width="40" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|

|-

|colspan=3|Registered voters/turnout

||7,179,023||83.94||{{increase}}1.0

|-

| colspan=11 align=left | Source: [http://eleicoes.cne.pt/cne2005/raster/index.cfm?dia=5&mes=10&ano=1980&eleicao=ar Comissão Nacional de Eleições]

|}

{{bar box

|title=Vote share

|titlebar=#ddd

|width=550px

|barwidth=500px

|bars=

{{bar percent|AD|#2A52BE|44.91}}

{{bar percent|FRS|{{party color|Republican and Socialist Front}}|26.65}}

{{bar percent|APU|{{party color|Portuguese Communist Party}}|16.75}}

{{bar percent|PSD|{{party color|Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}|2.45}}

{{bar percent|UDP|{{party color|Left Bloc (Portugal)}}|1.38}}

{{bar percent|POUS|#E53333|1.38}}

{{bar percent|PS|{{party color|Socialist Party (Portugal)}}|1.11}}

{{bar percent|PSR|#E53300|1.00}}

{{bar percent|AOC|pink|0.65}}

{{bar percent|PCTP/MRPP|{{party color|Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers / Reorganizative Movement of the Party of the Proletariat}}|0.59}}

{{bar percent|Others|#777777|0.83}}

{{bar percent|Blank/Invalid|#DDDDDD|2.28}}

}}

{{bar box

|title=Parliamentary seats

|titlebar=#ddd

|width=550px

|barwidth=500px

|bars=

{{bar percent|AD|#2A52BE|50.40}}

{{bar percent|FRS|{{party color|Republican and Socialist Front}}|28.40}}

{{bar percent|APU|{{party color|Portuguese Communist Party}}|16.40}}

{{bar percent|PSD|{{party color|Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}|3.20}}

{{bar percent|PS|{{party color|Socialist Party (Portugal)}}|1.20}}

{{bar percent|UDP|{{party color|Left Bloc (Portugal)}}|0.40}}

}}

{{election table|title=Results of the 1980 election of the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic
by constituency|sortable=yes}}

|- class="unsortable"

!rowspan=2|Constituency!!%!!S!!%!!S!!%!!S!!%!!S!!%!!S!!%!!S

!rowspan=2|Total
S

|- class="unsortable" style="text-align:center;"

!colspan=2 | AD

!colspan=2 | FRS

!colspan=2 | APU

!colspan=2 | PSD

!colspan=2 | PS

!colspan=2 | UDP

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Azores

|colspan="4" bgcolor="#AAAAAA"|

| 3.1

| -

| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}; color:white;"|57.0

| 4

| 27.3

| 1

| 1.3

| -

| 5

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Aveiro

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|58.8

| 10

| 27.1

| 4

| 6.8

| 1

|colspan="4" rowspan="11" bgcolor="#AAAAAA"|

|colspan="2" bgcolor="#AAAAAA"|

| 15

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Beja

| 22.4

| 1

| 21.1

| 1

| style="background:{{party color|United People Alliance}}; color:white;"|47.1

| 3

| 1.3

| -

| 5

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Braga

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|54.9

| 9

| 29.3

| 5

| 8.4

| 1

| 0.9

| -

| 15

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Bragança

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|65.3

| 3

| 21.3

| 1

| 4.8

| -

| 1.0

| -

| 4

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Castelo Branco

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|51.0

| 4

| 30.3

| 2

| 10.5

| -

| 0.7

| -

| 6

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Coimbra

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|46.1

| 6

| 35.9

| 5

| 9.9

| 1

| 0.8

| -

| 12

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | {{hs|Evora}} Évora

| 29.2

| 1

| 18.7

| 1

| style="background:{{party color|United People Alliance}}; color:white;"|45.7

| 3

| 0.9

| -

| 5

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Faro

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|37.2

| 4

| 34.7

| 4

| 16.7

| 1

| 1.9

| -

| 9

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Guarda

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|60.6

| 4

| 26.3

| 1

| 5.0

| -

| 0.7

| -

| 5

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Leiria

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|59.8

| 7

| 22.7

| 3

| 9.7

| 1

| 1.0

| -

| 11

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Lisbon

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|41.6

| 25

| 28.1

| 17

| 23.1

| 13

| 1.7

| 1

| 56

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Madeira

| colspan="4" bgcolor="#AAAAAA"|

| 2.9

| -

| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party (Portugal)}}; color:white;"|63.6

| 4

| 16.5

| 1

| 4.5

| -

| 5

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Portalegre

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|33.4

| 2

| 32.4

| 1

| 26.1

| 1

| colspan="2" rowspan="9" bgcolor="#AAAAAA"|

| colspan="2" rowspan="7" bgcolor="#AAAAAA"|

| 0.7

| -

| 4

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Porto

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|46.6

| 19

| 34.3

| 14

| 11.9

| 5

| 1.4

| -

| 38

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Santarém

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|42.1

| 6

| 30.4

| 4

| 19.0

| 2

| 1.2

| -

| 12

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Setúbal

| 24.1

| 4

| 23.5

| 4

| style="background:{{party color|United People Alliance}}; color:white;"|44.0

| 9

| 2.8

| -

| 17

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Viana do Castelo

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|59.2

| 5

| 22.8

| 1

| 10.0

| -

| 0.7

| -

| 6

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Vila Real

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|62.1

| 5

| 22.8

| 1

| 5.1

| -

| 0.8

| -

| 6

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Viseu

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|66.8

| 8

| 20.9

| 2

| 5.0

| -

| 0.6

| -

| 10

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Europe

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|49.6

| 1

| colspan="2" rowspan="2" bgcolor="#AAAAAA"|

| 15.2

| -

| 25.4

| 1

| 1.4

| -

| 2

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Outside Europe

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|85.5

| 2

| 2.6

| -

| 4.0

| -

| 0.4

| -

| 2

|-

|- class="unsortable" style="background:#E9E9E9"

| style="text-align:left;" | Total

| style="background:#2A52BE; color:white;"|44.9

| 126

| 26.7

| 71

| 16.8

| 41

| 2.5

| 8

| 1.1

| 3

| 1.4

| 1

| 250

|-

| colspan=14 style="text-align:left;" | Source: [http://eleicoes.cne.pt/cne2005/raster/index.cfm?dia=05&mes=10&ano=1980&eleicao=ar Comissão Nacional de Eleições]

|}

File:1980 Portuguese legislative election district results.svg|Winner and seats by constituency.

File:Eleições legislativas portuguesas de 1980.png|Most voted political force by municipality.

{{clear}}

{{main|1980 Camarate air crash}}

Just two months after winning the 1980 elections, and while campaigning for the Democratic Alliance's candidate for the December 1980 Presidential election, Prime Minister Francisco Sá Carneiro and his Defense minister Adelino Amaro da Costa, along with their spouses Snu Abecassis and Maria Vaz Pires, respectively, and the plane's pilot, died in tragic air crash when the small aircraft they were on board crashed and burned in Camarate, Loures, shortly after taking off from the main runway of Lisbon Airport.{{cite web|url=https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/politica/sa-carneiro-morre-em-acidente-de-aviacao_v853556|title=Sá Carneiro morre em acidente de aviação |publisher=RTP|access-date=8 October 2022|date=8 September 2015|language=pt}} This tragic air crash sparked a series of conspirancy theories, mainly because of Portugal' involvement in the Iran–Iraq War and the supply of weapons to both Iraq and Iran.{{cite web|url=https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/atentado-de-camarate-familiar-de-vitima-acusa-republicanos-dos-eua_v1254263|title=Atentado de Camarate. Familiar de vítima acusa republicanos dos EUA |publisher=RTP|access-date=8 October 2022|date=25 August 2020|language=pt}} Several investigations surrounding the crash were conducted and the official cause of the crash is still a matter of intense debate.{{cite web|url=https://jornaleconomico.pt/noticias/atentado-ou-acidente-quarenta-anos-depois-de-camarate-misterio-continua-por-resolver-672039|title=Atentado ou acidente? Quarenta anos depois de Camarate, mistério continua por resolver|publisher=Jornal Económico|access-date=8 October 2022|date=4 December 2020|language=pt}} Diogo Freitas do Amaral was appointed as Interim Prime Minister until the election of Francisco Pinto Balsemão as PSD leader and subsequent nomination as Prime Minister.{{cite web|url=https://arquivos.rtp.pt/conteudos/tomada-de-posse-do-vii-governo-constitucional/|title=Tomada de posse do VII Governo Constitucional|publisher=RTP|access-date=8 October 2022|date=9 January 1981|language=pt}}

The Balsemão governments were very unstable due to lack of leadership and deep disagreements between the three parties that composed the Democratic Alliance (AD). In the 1982 local elections, the AD was able to gather 42 percent of the votes, against the 31 percent of the PS and 20.5 percent of APU, but suffered loses and many within the coalition, mainly Diogo Freitas do Amaral, labeled the results as a disaster.{{cite web|url=https://expresso.pt/presidenciais2016/2016-01-16-Um-Parlamento-dissolvido-contra-a-maioria-dos-deputados|title=Um Parlamento dissolvido contra a maioria dos deputados |publisher=Expresso|access-date=8 December 2023|date=16 January 2016|language=pt}} With this background, Pinto Balsemão resigned as Prime Minister and the PSD proposed names for Prime Minister to President António Ramalho Eanes. However, President Eanes refused to swear in a new AD government and dissolved Parliament by calling elections for 25 April 1983.{{cite web|url=https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/politica/presidente-da-republica-dissolve-assembleia-da-republica-em-1983_v853599|title=Presidente da República dissolve Assembleia da República, em 1983 |publisher=RTP|access-date=8 December 2023|date=8 September 2015|language=pt}}

{{notes

| refs =

{{efn

| name = Democratic Alliance

| The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Democratic Social Center (CDS) and the People's Monarchist Party (PPM) contested the 1979 election in a coalition called Democratic Alliance (AD) and won a combined 45.3% of the vote and elected 128 MP's to parliament.

}}

{{efn

| name = United People Alliance

| The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Portuguese Democratic Movement (MDP/CDE) contested the 1979 election in a coalition called United People Alliance (APU) and won a combined 18.8% of the vote and elected 47 MPs to parliament.

}}

{{efn

| name = FRS

| The Socialist Party (PS), Left-wing Union for the Socialist Democracy (UEDS) and the Independent Social-Democratic Action (ASDI) would contest the 1980 election in a coalition called Republican and Socialist Front (FRS).

}}

{{efn

| name = Sá Carneiro

| As leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

}}

{{efn

| name = Mário Soares

| As leader of the Socialist Party (PS).

}}

{{efn

| name = AD

| Alliance formed by the Social Democratic Party (74 seats), the Democratic and Social Centre (46 seats) and the People's Monarchist Party (6 seats).

}}

{{efn

| name = PSD

| Social Democratic Party and Democratic and Social Centre electoral list only in Azores and Madeira.

}}

{{efn

| name = FRS1

| Alliance formed by the Socialist Party (63 seats), the Leftwing Union for the Socialist Democracy (4 seats) and the Independent Social-Democratic Action (4 seats).

}}

{{efn

| name = PS

| Socialist Party electoral list only in Azores and Madeira.

}}

{{efn

| name = APU

| Portuguese Communist Party (39 MPs) and Portuguese Democratic Movement (2 MPs) ran in coalition.

}}

{{efn

| name = PS1979

| Republican and Socialist Front results are compared to the combined totals of the Socialist Party in the 1979 election.

}}

{{efn

| name = Antropos

| Results presented here exclude undecideds (15.1%) and doesn't answer (8.2%). With their inclusion results are: AD: 37.9%; FRS: 26.8%; APU: 9.1%; Others/Invalid: 2.9%.

}}

{{efn

| name = Antropos2

| Results presented here exclude undecideds (17.6%) and doesn't answer (16.4%). With their inclusion results are: AD: 34.4%; FRS: 21.4%; APU: 9.1%; Others/Invalid: 1.2%.

}}

}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://eleicoes.cne.pt/cne2005/sel_eleicoes.cfm?m=raster#assemb Comissão Nacional de Eleições] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408212102/http://eleicoes.cne.pt/cne2005/sel_eleicoes.cfm?m=raster#assemb |date=2005-04-08 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060818153627/http://www.iscsp.utl.pt/~cepp/abertura.php Centro de Estudos do Pensamento Político]

• Politics of Portugal
• List of political parties in Portugal
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Category:Legislative elections in Portugal

Legislative election

Portuguese legislative election